Our model
The environmental features that make for healthy urban planning are called the “urban determinants'' of health. The Healthy Cities Generator can be used to discover the mental, physical, and environmental health impact of the following five categories of urban determinants:
Density
Compact Cities
Compact cities have a medium density of services and housing, so everything is accessible in 15 minutes.
Mobility
Connected Cities
Connected cities have high quality walking routes, cycle paths, and public transport networks connecting the places people want to go.
Variety
Complete Neighbourhoods
Complete neighbourhoods include a mix of accessible public services, green spaces, healthy food options and commerce.
Landscape
Green Cities
Green cities are made up of diverse green spaces and public areas that encourage leisure and socialising.
Housing
Quality Homes
Quality homes are equitably distributed, energy-efficient, comfortable, and warm.
Extensive literature shows that these urban factors are key for building healthy cities and healthy communities. However, health and planning are seldom considered in tandem. That’s what we want to change with the Healthy Cities Generator - we want to make it easy for urban planners and policy makers to connect the dots between health and urban design.
Results of using the Healthy Cities Generator to assess the health impact of an urban plan
Discover the latest developments in the Healthy Cities Generator with an article by URBACT Healthy Cities Ad-hoc Expert Sofia Aivalioti.